Process of producing dealcoholized fermented beverages.



No. 602,02. Patented Nov. 20, |900. A. MULLER.

PROCESS 0F PHUDUCING DEALCOHOLIZED FERMENTED BEVERAGES.

(Application med .my 17, 1900.)

(No Model.)

l/cacauln Wl T/VE SSE S AUGUST MLLER, or STUTTGART, GERMANY.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING DEALCOHOLIZED FERMENTED BEVERAGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,172, dated November 20, 1900.

ppliOMOll led July 17,1900. b'eI'ial No. 23.897. (No specimens.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Beit known that I, AUGUST MLLER, Ph. D., a citizen of the Empire of Germany, residing in Stuttgart, in the Kingdom of Wrtemberg, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Producing Dealcoholized Fermented Beverages, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide a process by which an alcohol-containing fermented beverage, as beer, may be deprived of some or all of its alcohol, as desired, without injuring the color, smell, or taste of such beverage. A successful process of this kind has long been sought, but was difficult to obtain by reason of the fact that the'heating of the beverage, in contact with.

air, to a temperature sufficient to distil off the contained alcohol brings about other and undesirable changes in the condition of the beverage-such, foriustance,as the gumming of the ethereal, oils and precipitation of a portion of the soluble substances. For overcoming these disadvantages this invention consists in subjecting the alcohol-containing beverage to distillation at less than ordinary atmospheric pressure in an atmosphere of carbonic-acid gas. The process is facilitated if the beverage is at the same time continuously agitated.

The process may be conveniently carried out in the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawing.

V indicates a vacuum-pan of any suitable construction, provided with a suitable valved pipe for supplying the beverage to the pan, This pipe being located preferably at the end of the pan (not shown in the sectional view) does not appear in the drawing. A Waterbath W is preferably employed for heating the pan, as a uniform temperature is thereby easily obtained. Pipes a and b serve for admittingwater to and withdrawing the same from the bath. The head G of the pan V is connected by a pipe 'M with the shell m of a condenserA. Through the top m of thecondenser a pipe M extends into the condensertube A', said pipe being connected at its outer end with avacuum-pump of any suitable construction. To the bottom mgof the condenser is connected a discharge pipe a, provided with a cock a for drawing ott the alcohol collecting in the condenser. The condensertube A' is simply a plain tube, as indicated in the drawing, and is connected in any suitable manner at its lower end to a pipe M2, th rough which alcohol condensing within the tube is conducted off to any suitable receptacle. In the pan V is located, preferably near the bottom of the same', a perforated coil R, which is supplied with carbonic-acid gas from a receiver R' through a pipe fr havinga stop-cock H. The pan V is also provided witha thermometer and vacuum-gage. (Not shown.) A pipe S, havingastop-cock s, connects the pan V with the coil loof a cooler K,

the tank lo of which is provided with inlet and outlet pipes 162793, respectively, for the cooling-water with which the tank is filled. The coil lo is connected at its lower end by a hose-pipe B with the cask in the cellar, a receiver R2 of carbonio-acid gas being also preferably connected with said cask C by a suitable pipe 1".

The process is carried out in this apparatus in the following manner: Before supplying the beverage to be dealcoholized into the pan V the cock H is turned on, and all the air contained in the pan is forced out by the carbonio-acid gas, so that an atmosphere of the latter gas is created in the pan. The beverage is then admitted. Carbonio-acid gas is permitted to escape from the coil R and rise through the beverage continuously during the distillation, thereby agitating the same and facilitating the operation.v When the temperature of the beverage becomes about 40 centigrade, the air-pump slowly set in motion, so as to prevent the too-violent agitation of the beverage by the escape of the carbonic acid incorporated therein. The Vacu um in the pan is then gradually increased by proper regulation of the supply of carbonio-acid gas and the speed of t-he vacuumpump until a pressure of about tifty-ve milimeters is indicated on the vacuum-gage, at which pressure the distillation is continued.

From time to time a sample may be taken` from the pan and tested as to the quantity of alcohol contained therein. When the desired amount is driven off, the process is terminated and the low pressure in the pan equalized to the atmospheric pressure by an eXtra supply of carbonio-acid gas. The stop-cock s is then IOO opened and the beverage conducted through pipe S into the coil k and thence into the casks in the cellar, in which it is allowed to remain, preferably, for a few days under a pressure of from one to one and one-half atmospheres of carbonio-acid gas, when it is ready for use. The alcohol distilled od' passes with the carbonio-acid gas from the coil R through the pipe M into the condenser. Here the alcohol condenses and collects at the bottom m2 of the condenser, from which it may be drawn olf through pipe a, and a portion of the alcohol condenses within the condenser-tube A and iows o through the pipe M2. The carbonicacid gas is drawn oi through the pipe M' to the vacuum-pump and may be disposed of in any suitable manner.

The dealcoholiz'ed beverage produced by the process compares favorably in color,smell, and taste with the original alcohol-con tainin g beve rage. The alcohol obtained by the process is pure and colorless and is suitable for general use in the arts.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The herein-described process of producing dealcoholized fermented beverages, which consists in subjecting the alcohol-containing beverage to distillation at less than ordinary atmospheric pressure, in an atmosphere of carbonio-acid gas, substantially as set forth.

2. The herein-described process of producing dealcoholized fermented beverages, which consists in subjecting the alcohol-containing beverage to distillation at less than ordinary atmospheric pressure, in an atmosphere of carbonio-acid gas, under continuous agitation, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AUGUST MULLER.

Witnesses:

HEINRICH ZIEGLER, OSCAR BARoss. 

